Govt to buy truck for four times the cost

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, yesterday announced that Cabinet gave its no objection to solid waste contracts for the procurement of one Hook Lift truck that costs a whopping US $436,000.

This high tonnage truck with large compactor was quoted for between US$96,000 and– US$126,000 depending on the Freight on Board cost to ship the truck.

The price for such trucks online, brand new, ranged from the lowest tonnage and compactor size for US $20,000 to the highest tonnage and compactor size worth US$120,000.
The price is also dependent on whether the truck is coming with the compactor which collects waste, or by itself. It would be cheaper without the compactor so in the case of the price quoted for the highest tonnage brand new truck the price would be less than US$120,000.
Dr. Luncheon did say that the truck would be lifting large compactors but didn’t say if it would be coming with the compactor. However, utilizing the highest truck price, that still leaves US $336, 000 in overpricing.
Luncheon himself was taken aback by the price of the truck when he was delivering the figures within the distribution of contracts. He said, “One hook lift truck the one that hooks the garbage bin and pull it up is at a cost of US$436,000 odd. That’s a lot of money boy.”
He was later asked why did Cabinet not red flag the pricing taking into context that he himself was taken aback by the price for the one truck.
Luncheon responded, “I live three minutes away from here. Anything other than on foot to me is a little car drive so I am not too knowledgeable. But I know about money and that’s a lot of money.”
In justifying the acquisition of the vehicle however he said that the truck would be used to lift huge bins that that have already been purchased and distributed across the region.
“I don’t think there is any intention of having manual labour lift these larger bins… and dump them into the trucks. This is to me the justification to get these specialized equipment trucks that carry some features that allow them to do that…The truck obviously is going to contribute to maximizing the use of those bins. If that is what US$436,000 will do why brake a lance?”
He said that it is highly unlikely that the truck is a used one for the price. “It has to be a new facility.”
Luncheon also said that Cabinet gave its no objection contracts for the procurement of laboratory equipment for the Georgetown solid waste management programme and that is at a cost of US$112,000.